Baba Siddique murder: Days after NCP leader's killing, son Zeeshan's photo found in shooter's phone
A picture of MLA Zeeshan Siddique was found on the phone of one of the accused who shot his father, Baba Siddique, last Saturday.
Baba Siddique murder: A picture of MLA Zeeshan Siddique was found on the phone of one of the accused who shot his father, Baba Siddique, last Saturday.
According to police sources, the phone recovered from one of the accused arrested during the investigation into the NCP leader's murder case had his photograph.
The photo was reportedly shared with the accused by their handler via Snapchat. According to police, the shooters and conspirators used the social media platform to send messages to each other.
These texts were deleted on the orders of their handler, who reportedly worked for the notorious gangster Lawrence Bishnoi.
On October 12, three men shot Siddique near his MLA son's office in Nirmal Nagar, Mumbai's Bandra area. The Congress-turned-NCP leader was rushed to nearby Lilavati Hospital and declared dead.
So far, police have arrested nine persons in connection with the investigation, including two of the three shooters. Nitin Gautam Sapre (32), Sambhaji Kisan Pardhi (44), Pradeep Dattu Thombre (37), Chetan Dilip Pardhi, and Ram Fulchand Kanoujia (43) were arrested yesterday for allegedly providing weaponry and logistical support to the shooters.
Police claimed three of the accused are still on the run.
When Baba Siddique was shot, he was accompanied by only one police constable from his security detail, who did not retaliate when six shots were fired at the senior politician. The security personnel have been suspended.
According to the sources, the constable informed the investigators that he did not respond during the incident because a "chilli-like substance" had entered his eyes.
According to the reconstruction of the assassination, the three shooters and a co-conspirator positioned themselves near Siddique's waiting car. As the 66-year-old left the office and tried to enter the vehicle, the killers set off a device that filled the area with heavy smoke. Many people assumed it was the smoke from the firecrackers, which also masked the noise of gunshots.